Eastside Catholic big winners, other Tuesday highlights

Eastside Catholic ended up knocking off No. 9 Seattle Prep 57-54 on a three-pointer in the final seconds. The final half minute of the game turned into quite an exciting finish. With the score tied at 54, Eastside Catholic turned the ball over. Needing a stop, Ian Christie slid over on a defensive rotation and took a charge from Laurence Hicks, who was driving the baseline from the right side.

Coach Bill Liley took a quick timeout to discuss things and then, with 10 seconds left, guard Alex Vilarino got into the paint and found Nathan Christie, who nailed the game-winner.

“I’m really proud of my kids,” said Liley, who got the Crusaders one game away from last year’s state tournament. “We feel like this year is the year for us to make a run.”

It is the first time in 13 years the Crusaders have beaten the Panthers, which is coincidentally the last time they went to state.

The Crusaders go to 3-1 on the season and move into second place in the Metro League Mountain Division. With a win over Nathan Hale on Friday, a game they should be favored in, the Crusaders would most likely move into the Top 10.

Eastside Catholic’s lone loss of the season came on a heartbreaker at O’Dea, when Jamie Orme tipped in an offensive rebound with 3.5 seconds left.

Seattle Prep is now 3-2 on the season, but with two tough losses. The first came last Saturday at No. 1 Rainier Beach. And then came the last-second loss last night. This team should be in the conversation late in the year.

Also in action last night, No. 2 Bellevue pulled away from 2A No. 8 Lake Washington. The Kangs were eventually worn down by Bellevue’s deep bench, as noted in the game story.

And finally, in KingCo 4A action, Ballard improved to 4-1 overall with a win over Woodinville. I’m very intrigued by this Beavers team, which has only lost to No. 2 Garfield. Ballard is an inexperienced team, but with plenty of upperclassmen. Having early success could go a long way for the Beavers.